RADIO
Taylor Walls Will Open 2026 on the Injured List Due to Oblique Issue
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (oblique) is set to open 2026 on the Injured List due to an oblique issue, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. With Walls sidelined, Topkin reports that top Rays prospect Carson Williams is "likely" to be the team's Opening Day starter at shortstop. Across 317 plate appearances in 2025, the glove-first Walls hit .220/.280/.319 with four home runs, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. The 29-year-old is a career .195/.286/.298 hitter across 1,560 MLB plate appearances, rendering him largely unusable in the majority of fantasy formats. Walls' strong defensive metrics could lead to him regaining Tampa Bay's starting shortstop role once healthy. However, Williams appears likely to get an extended run of everyday playing time and could be a player for fantasy managers to target as a cheap source of power and speed.
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
